Star Fire grows to 8 acres near Eagle, smokejumpers deployed

Smokejumpers deployed to a new wildfire near Eagle reported the Star Fire had grown to 5–8 acres by late afternoon Thursday, burning roughly 400 yards west of the Taylor Highway, the road access route to the community.

The fire is located near Mile 149 of the Taylor Highway, approximately 11 miles south of Eagle. Smokejumpers circling the area at 4:50 p.m. Thursday provided the size estimate, according to BLM Alaska Fire Service.

The Star Fire is identified as incident number 1169 in the Alaska 511 system. The incident record, discovered late on June 11, 2026, lists the fire's status as Fire Investigation with a recorded size of 0.00 acres as of the last system update.

BLM Alaska Fire Service operates approximately 80 Alaska Smokejumpers who serve as the primary initial attack force for wildfires on federally protected lands in Alaska. The smokejumpers are trained and equipped to rapidly deploy by parachute from aircraft to remote wildland fires across Alaska, often in areas without road access, to conduct initial attack and protect structures or other values at risk.